Provision of multimedia services: the key to deployment of access network architectures in developing countries

Access networks have always been a very significant part of public network operator investments and operating costs. They have not, however, been a very dynamic part of telecom networks, planned, as they were, for the long term and usually with limited technological innovation. This is changing, and access networks are increasingly coming into focus for technological innovation and as platforms for provisioning new advanced services in a competitive business environment. New fiber, radio, and copper-based technologies, in combination with flexible multiplexers and management tools, provide new possibilities for improved quality of services, cost reduction, and provisioning of new advanced services. In order to fully benefit from these possibilities, to extend and upgrade existing as well as build completely new access networks, a flexible service-independent access network architecture and access network system are required. In this article a target access network architecture is suggested as well as an implementation scenario for developing countries.